Board of Directors
Founded in 1986, Columbia Analytical has grown to become the largest employee-owned, independent commercial testing laboratory network in the United States. Our distinguished Board of Directors includes:
Stephen W. Vincent, chairman of the board, is one of the founders of Columbia Analytical and has served as president, director, and chief executive officer since April 1986. As CEO, Mr. Vincent is responsible for the overall growth and profitability of the company. This includes establishing long-range objectives, plans, and policies and representing the company with its major customers, technical community and the public. Prior to founding Columbia Analytical, Mr. Vincent spent 11 years as an analytical chemist and laboratory manager for Weyerhaeuser Company. Mr. Vincent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in oceanography from the University of Washington. Mr. Vincent currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL); Union Internationale des Laboratoires Independants (UILI); Cowlitz Economic Development Council (CEDC); and Lower Columbia College Foundation. Mr. Vincent is also a member of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Peter J. Holzer, audit committee chair, was appointed to the board in 1998. Mr. Holzer also serves on the compensation committee. He was an executive vice president and director of corporate planning and development at Chase Manhattan Corporation at the time of his retirement in 1996. Mr. Holzer is the past chairman of the board of Embrex, Inc., an international agricultural biotechnology company. He is also a trustee of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City and of the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
H. Randolph Sweet, R.G., C.E.G, serves as compensation committee chair. Mr. Sweet is an independent geologist and was appointed to the Columbia Analytical Board of Directors in February 1998. He was instrumental in assisting with the financing of Columbia Analytical at its inception and had previously served on the Columbia Analytical board from April 1987 to February 1994. In addition to chairing the compensation committee, Mr. Sweet serves on the corporate governance committee. He is a port commissioner for the Port of Kalama in Kalama, Wash., and is also active in the recovery of listed salmonids in Southwest Washington as the citizen representative on the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board.
Lisa Haas, governance committee chair, has been involved in research and assessment of health, safety, and environmental (HSE) protection measures for more than 25 years. Ms. Haas successfully started and managed two consulting firms. One of those firms, America North Inc. (ANI), grew from two to more than 70 employees based on client service, high quality work and technical expertise. Ms Haas' second firm, Haas Consulting, was founded to meet client requests for specialized global HSE compliance and management systems. At Columbia Analytical, she is the chair of the corporate governance committee and also serves on the compensation committee. Ms. Haas holds a Master of Science degree in wildlife research from Colorado State University.
Ron Harris serves on both the audit and compensation committees and has more than 37 years in the laboratory industry. Mr. Harris is a past president of the ACIL and is on the board of directors of numerous organizations, including HDR, Inc., a major engineering consulting firm. He joined Harris Laboratories in 1968 and served as president from 1974 to 1994. Mr. Harris also served as chairman from 1994 through 2000. From 1995 to Mr. Harris's retirement in 2000, the company grew from $35 million to more than $300 million in annual sales. Mr. Harris received a master's of business administration and Bachelor of Science with a minor in chemistry from the University of Nebraska.
Judie A. Scholes serves on both the corporate governance and audit committees and is the Columbia Analytical ESOP and 401(k) Trustee. Ms. Scholes, who has extensive knowledge of laboratory operation, was appointed to the Columbia Analytical Board of Directors in June 2000 and has been with the company since July 1993. Until January 2000, she was the chief financial officer of the corporation. She also served as corporate secretary/treasurer until July 2000. Ms. Scholes also fulfilled a number of roles at domain registrar Dotster, Inc., a subsidiary of Columbia Analytical Holdings, including that of Dotster's president. Ms. Scholes received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from City University in 1980.
Michael Shelton, one of the founders of Columbia Analytical, serves on the audit and corporate governance committees. Mr. Shelton served as board member from April 1986 to December 1992 and was reappointed to the board in April 1997. Mr. Shelton provides support to Columbia Analytical as a consultant on a project-specific basis, as requested.
